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Soften ride

MikeCon

Full Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2019
Messages
276
Would like to soften ride. Very little offloading . All stock 73. With ranger option,302 c4 auto.
 

SteveL

Huge chevy guy
Joined
Jun 24, 2001
Messages
11,613
Loc.
Hawthorne ca
If it's stock you might want to look into some of the modern springs from one of our early bronco specific vendors. That and some of the above mentioned shocks
 

DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
47,354
One problem with the stock springs Mike, is not so much their older design (though that's part of it) but it's their actual age.
Springs sag a bit, but they also "take a set" in some cases. That's where one leaf tip rubs on the underside of the next leaf up and makes a wear line where things bind up. Once the springs sag down a bit, that line that used to be out past the normal ride-height setting is now right at the tip of the leaf. Locking things up until enough pressure is exerted.
This action does not stop the spring from flexing, but by resisting that initial movement makes for an extremely harsh ride.

Also, old rubber bushings can be worn out and no longer isolating things like they once did. And if the spring has slid over to one side or the other, it's now in metal-to-metal contact with the spring perches.

And for the most part, old shocks suck!

So while you can refurbish old stuff to work better than they have in 30 years, new is usually better.
I'm just not sure quite how best to set up a stock height truck anymore. Most of my experience is with lifted Broncos, so there is more data on how to soften (or make less harsh) the ride.
New shocks are key, but springs and shocks work together. New springs are decades better than the old, but even the new ones are made to carry reasonable loads so are not exactly squishy and spongy on the road. It's a Utility Vehicle after all, so most parts are made to do a certain number of things.
For lifted springs which mostly sit a bit high on empty or light stock-ish Broncos, I'm not sure just how our stock height replacements (or those of any other vendors) will sit. If high, then you're in business because you can remove one or more leaves and not only drop your Bronco down to the level/stance that you want, but at the same time soften up the ride even more.

Replacing the bushings helps too. Even polyurethane works well to give a more linear feel, but ultimately rubber still gives the best isolation. I'd like to see big squishy rubber bushings, pads of some kind between the spring perch and mounting plate with the leaf pack, and bigger bushings on the shocks. Then add some coil pads to the front springs and I bet there would be a notable improvement in perceived ride quality just from the road noise isolation.
If your old original C-bushings are worn out enough, you might even be feeling/hearing a lot more road noise than originally too. Loss of rubber insulators leaves metal-to-metal contact which is never good.

Lots of stuff you can do. I'm sure others will chime in with their experiences.

Paul
 

Rustytruck

Bronco Guru
Joined
Feb 24, 2002
Messages
10,875
If it was mine I would dissemble the leaf pack and polish the leafs top and bottom then put polypropylene shim stock between the leafs. after that I would run Duffs 70/30 shocks so the spring pack can easily compress with less resistance and control the rebound. run big tires with lower tire pressure. since your not offroading then you don't need higher resistance shocks to control body and axle movement. Ff it turns out too squirrely for you add in front and rear sway bars. just don't go too big. think hard on unsprung tire and wheel weight. the more weight you have to control the stiffer your suspension needs to be.
 

jerry

Contributor
Sr. Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2002
Messages
694
Loc.
Bakersfield, CA
Are dual front / rear shocks still the norm? Using my truck as an example - came with this setup from Duff, 3.5" lift
 

DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
47,354
They were widely accepted, but I don’t think they ever quite got to the status of the norm. Especially on Broncos.
And that was more true 30 years ago than today. Nowadays most bronco users realize they don’t need dual shocks to do the same thing. And they don’t use their Broncos for the same things we used them for 30 years ago either.
A few of us still run them of course, and multi shock mounts are still sold especially for those that are using their vehicles harder. But frankly with most people seeing only street time in their rigs anymore, a single quality shock per wheel is usually more than enough.

And as always too, everyone’s perception of good ride and good handling are different. So where one brand of shock is better for someone, another brand is better for another. And that goes for single versus dual as well.
 

SteveL

Huge chevy guy
Joined
Jun 24, 2001
Messages
11,613
Loc.
Hawthorne ca
Are dual front / rear shocks still the norm? Using my truck as an example - came with this setup from Duff, 3.5" lift
Save the money you'd spend on dual mounts and put it toward good single shocks like the bilstiens
 
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